Never His
by X59
Summary: When Curly hears about Rhonda getting married, he has to face a bitter truth and the road that brought him to his current location.


**Arnold Shortman**

Their in second grade when Curly first obtains competition for Rhonda's heart.

Curly sees it in the way Arnold's smiles are slightly larger when looking at Rhonda. Sees it in way the he stands a little taller when talking to her. Sees it in the way his feet have a slight bounce after a conversation with her. It takes a week before he spills his love for Rhonda on Arnold and asks through his help. The subsequent events that follow don't bring him any closer to Rhonda, but it does make her aware of the crush. Even though Rhonda turns him down, rather nicely, Curly counts it as a win because the crush Arnold wasn't even aware dies and his attention soon turns to Ruth P. McDougal.

He doesn't stop to think about his good fortune, doesn't stop to think it odd that Arnold would suddenly gain a crush on a girl he doesn't even know. He's just so very relieved that Arnold's attention is elsewhere because who would pick him over the nicest boy in class?

Years later as his learns about Rhonda getting married to someone's whose not him, he bitterly regrets never discovering Arnold's run in with the fourth grader who scared him and Ruth comforting him.

 **Gerald Johanssen**

Unlike Arnold, Curly sees that Gerald's more aware of his crush on Rhonda but doesn't exactly know what he feels for her. Curly plots, plans, and think he can remove Gerald the same way he removed Arnold. However in the midst of plotting and planning he looks at his beautiful Rhonda and sees he her looks at Gerald and blush. There is a moment of shock before the haze comes to him for the first time.

It's suddenly not a manner of removing Gerald, no it's matter of getting Rhonda's attention off of Gerald. He's so focused on gaining her attention that he doesn't begin to see the way Rhonda's patience with him is depleting and the way she lets him down is becoming not as nice as before. He's too blind, too driven and devoted to capturing Rhonda's attention and keeping it away from Gerald that he doesn't realize when Gerald stops crushing on her.

He arrogantly calls it a win because Gerald doesn't like her, she doesn't like Gerald, and it doesn't matte if she's angry at him, he knows that Rhonda is just playing hard to get and they are meant to be together.

 **Harold Berman**

By the time their in fourth grade Curly is not deterred that their relationship hasn't progressed and has remained the same. During that time Curly gets the flue and is bedridden for a week and doesn't think major will happen while he recuperates. He is horribly wrong and horrified when he comes back to school and sees how Rhonda and Harold are looking at each other. His plans to get them separated don't work because he keeps going to wrong place (like the movie theater their not at). Eventually all so quickly, yet too slowly, Rhonda and Harold lose all interest in each other and he's just so very glad that Rhonda saw the light and will surely realize that he's the one right for her.

 **Sid Smith**

Their in junior high and he's no closer to, and sometimes feels even father from, Rhonda. He's rather surprised to learn about Rhonda and Sid going on a date. He knew they were close during their grade school adventures and Curly curses himself for not being aware of how close they were or had become. As he follows them into the movie theater he sees three blonds walking out, and while he is curious on why Arnold and Helga are being unknowingly followed he's too focused on his mission to care.

Three weeks, it takes him three weeks to get the pair to break up. He is able to subtly make their fights worse, adding a word or there. As he looks at his princess get into a swan boat with Sid, he begins to prepare to dive in and put his final plan action he hears two voices. The first is Arnold but the second is one he doesn't recognize but when glances slightly (can't have anyone mess up his plan) and sees the unknown blond from before.

"You know I'm still kind of surprise…" And the blond is talking about being glad that Arnold was willing to hear him out, being really sorry for scaring him, and Arnold makes a comment about Ruth and Curly could honestly care less as he slides into the water, makes a splash close to Sid's side and then tips them over when Sid leans over. As Curly swims away fresh in victory at their impending break up, he never realizes that they break up for completely different reasons. They both decided to go on last date before they mutually broke things off and being tricked into the water doesn't even faze Rhonda who just laughs at the absurdity of it all.

It's the laugher that grabs Arnold's and his companions' attention and Rhonda is hooked. Obviously older then Arnold, his companion somehow has a child-like appearance, with messy blond hair, youthful features, and blue eyes.

 **Gremmy Thoumeaux**

For a second, a brief second, Curly feels as he's competing against Arnold again because Rhonda is invading Arnold's personal space. It takes only a second because Arnold is too loyal to Helga and Helga seems more amused than annoyed so Curly is obviously just being paranoid. Yet he feels an edge of something lurking through him that makes him nervous as he sees Arnold nod his head in surprise, Rhonda shriek in happiness, and Helga snort in amusement.

The next day he follows from a distance and witnesses Arnold introduce Rhonda to the blond stranger, Gremmy Thoumeaux. There's a look of shocked amusement in blue eyes as they flick to Arnold and then Rhonda is introducing herself and before Curly can do anything Rhonda has scored a date with Gremmy. As a Rhonda moves away from both blonds, Curly catches the look in her eyes, a look of eagerness, excitement, of pure sweet happiness and Curly freezes as he finds himself shaking. In that single instance he fears with a sense of burning dread that Rhonda won't be his anymore.

A sudden roar makes everyone freeze and Curly is charging at blondes. There is an inferno running through him and as both blonds move he ignores their cries ("Curly?!" "Who's the nutcase?!"), he's breathing hard and he doesn't know who to attack first the Rhonda-Stealer, Gremmy (what kind of stupid name is that anyways, Curly thinks disdainfully) or Arnold (how dare HE! How dare HE help someone take my Rhonda from me)!

Arnold moves closer trying to reach out and Curly pounces, and then Gremmy is stepping because as far he's concerned Arnold is being attacked by a crazy person. Even though it's two on one because Arnold has no choice but to fight back even as he tries to tries to get Curly to stop, Curly proves how strong he is by going toe to toe with the both of them. There's a voice screaming to stop but Curly is too far to gone recognize it, far too gone in the haze of anger and fear to recognize Rhonda as she tries grab his hand. When the haze lifts he's lying on his stomach in pain, Arnold and Gremmy are on their knees panting, and he sees Nadine holding Rhonda who has a black eye. In the instance their eyes lock he sees fear and knows with a sense of complete utter dread he's too blame.

The police come and he's too numb with the horror of what he's done and confesses everything. Later on people talk and after certain actions of his are discovered (the constant freeing of zoo animals, oozing the streets of Hillwood for days, etc…) he's not all that surprised to find himself committed. His only visitors are Family and he knows with a sense of dread that the friendships forged with the PS118 gang are forever severed.

Despite the best attempts of all involved he never truly gets better the haze overwhelms him when certain things come up except the haze isn't always the same. On some days it's that raging inferno that consumed him that day and on others it's a dull shock of dread and despair from what he had done to HIS RHONDA!

It's years later, _it feels like forever_ , and he's in the living room and an older woman is sharing gossip with her sister, placed in here, and he learns that Rhonda and Gremmy are getting married. The haze comes upon him, but this time it's the dread and despair full of regret. He doesn't move or do anything as he listens to the gossip and it's only now that his past actions come back to him with perfect clarity and snippets of conversations make sense and with it comes regret and a cold hard bitter truth.

Rhonda was never and would never be his.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ Sid's last name is never revealed so I picked a last name at random and I just burrowed Gremmy's name and looks (minus eye color) from Bleach, not his personality.

In all honesty the Gremmy section really took a life on his it's own and it changed the story. I originally planned to have Curly viewing the wedding but as I wrote the scene Curly couldn't handle seeing Rhonda so excited to be with Gremmy, especially since she never was that excited with any other boy.

Writing can really take a life of its own.


End file.
